Trading Places
by amsrule
Summary: My take on a CS body switch! Post 4.20, no Dark!Swan, just some mischief.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! This is my first OUAT/CS story, so bear with me. This takes place after 4.20— so no Heroes and Villains ep, but Isaac is defeated and Rumple is good, there's no Dark!Swan.

* * *

Emma Swan wakes that morning with a slight pounding in her head, but no realization that anything is any different than usual.

Yet.

She can feel sunlight pressing against her eyelids, but her alarm hasn't gone off yet. She wonders halfheartedly what time it is, even though she knows that it's earlier than she would like. Grumbling, she reaches up to rub her hand over her face and massage her eyes before opening them.

She's not sure what she notices first—the odd olive green paint of the ceiling or the feeling of facial hair under her fingers—but she suddenly knows that something is wrong.

Her first thought is that _of course_ something has gone wrong, this is Storybrooke after all and its only been weeks since the Apprentice helped them defeat Isaac and remove the darkness from Gold.

Her second thought is a string of curses, questioning what in the fucking buggering batshit crazy hell is happening to her.

Emma sits up, the movement awkward as her body feels heavier than she is used to. She holds her right hand in front of her face. It's rather large, and there are indentations around the first and third fingers, as if she should be wearing jewelry. But jewelry is one thing that Emma Swan does not usually wear.

"What the…" she wonders out loud, but the voice she hears is a tad deep, slightly lilted, and too damn familiar.

Eyes wide, she lifts her left arm up and gasps. All she sees is a stump, the arm ending at the wrist. The skin is paler than the other hand, and is more scarred than she expects. She moves her right hand over to drift it along the arm, but she can barely feel her own touch. A glance further to the left reveals a curved silver object resting on the bedside table.

"Hook!" She screeches out.

She can't believe what she's seeing. There is no way she could be imagining this, because it's the first time she has ever seen the bare arm. Despite the panic rising in her chest, she can't help but feel a bit of melancholy as she recalls the story of how Rumplestiltskin took his hand, and the love of his life, from him all in one fell swoop.

Her head is pounding even harder now and her vision begins to go black around the edges. She presses her hand to her chest in an effort to calm her ragged breathing, but it lands on chest hair and she pulls away in disgust.

Although, really, it's not as if she hasn't touched his chest before. They've been dating for a little while now and they've made out more than once. But it never went farther than a little groping, mostly because they haven't had time between battling for their lives, taking care of Henry, and living with her parents.

And he had been staying at Granny's, Emma remembers suddenly, and the red and green walls begin to make more sense. Her gaze sweeps over the rest of the room and she spots a mirror standing in the far corner. She doesn't want to go over to it, doesn't want it to confirm her suspicions, but she can't help it.

Slowly, she extricates her now stockier body out from between the white bedsheets and walks across the room. When she braves a glance at the mirror, she sees Killian's body standing there. She stares at his rich blue eyes, his square jaw, the hair trailing down his chest and stomach. And there goes her heart, racing again, as she trails over his…

She jumps, swiftly moving both arms to cover… _that_. But the single hand and the arm stump do little to block her view of his thick appendage, which is suddenly twitching for attention.

He sleeps _naked_. The body she is suddenly occupying, the body of the infamous Captain Hook, the body of her boyfriend … is unclothed.

"What the fuck?" She exclaims, her gaze flickering back and forth between the thing now dangling between her legs—god, that's such a weird feeling—and her eyes. Or, rather, his eyes.

She knows she needs to stop staring; staring isn't helping her resolve what is going on. What she needs to do is find her own body. As she thinks it over, she's not sure if something happened to Killian and now she is inhabiting his body, or if they have somehow switched bodies. But, then, why would they? Unless they weren't the only ones affected and this, whatever it is, has happened all over town.

Either way, she needs to get to her parent's loft quickly, and inconspicuously. It certainly wouldn't help to run across town naked and screaming and causing widespread panic.

This requires playing the part of Hook—Killian—even if only for a little while. Luckily she has training blending in from her bail bonds days and also, she feels like she knows Killian pretty well.

Hopefully.

With a quick shiver, she turns her—his?—body around and looks for clothing. There is no underwear in sight, but she spots a pair of dark jeans lying on the chest at the end of the bed. She sighs and starts to pull them on until her left arm just slides along the fabric.

Right, no hand, she has to remind herself. She glances back over at the bedside table, but coming out of the leather brace is a tangled pile of thick leather strips. Closing her eyes, Emma groans loudly. There is no way she is going to be able to get that on, she knows, so she turns back to the problem at, well, hand.

With an awkward shimmying motion, she shifts the jeans up her legs and eventually manages to get them zipped and buttoned. Searching around for a shirt next, she finds a black button down.

It takes her longer than she would ever admit to get that monstrosity on properly. The leather jacket is much easier to adorn, and she does so with a slight sigh. She can't help but feel a bit of pride towards Killian and all of the adjusting he had gone through, both when he had first lost his hand and began using the hook, and then when she had gotten him to start dressing in modern clothes. For a moment, she regrets how much she pushed him into that one, even if he did look _damn good_ in them.

Emma finds his jewelry on the bedside table next to the hook and she slips it all on. She stuffs the leather straps up into her sleeve as she shoves the stump into the brace. She holds it against her—his!—stomach and hopes that the brace doesn't fall off during her trek across town. Despite his confident personality and lascivious commentary, there are still several things he keeps to himself. And this, she knows, is one of them.

She finds his boots resting beside the door and she slides them on. As she exits the room, she doesn't bother looking for a key or locking the door behind her. Whether or not he has anything worth stealing, this is Storybrooke for God's sake. In fairy tales people don't steal from each other, right?

Her own mother not included.

She pushes the thought away and slides out through the back door, not wanting to encounter any of Granny's morning crowd. She slips through back roads easily until she comes upon Mary Margaret's apartment building. She makes her way to the third floor but pauses in front of the familiar door.

She can't just burst in there and walk past her parents. Right now, she looks like Hook, and while the two of them have been dating, her father would never permit him to just barge in.

No, she has to play this through. Taking a deep breath, she reaches out and knocks twice on the door.

David murmurs something on the other side, and Emma realizes that he must be looking through the peephole. He swings the door open and there's a coffee mug in his other hand, another sign of the early hour.

"Good morning, Killian," He gives her a reserved smile, "Awful early, isn't it?"

"Hi dad!" She wants to scream out. "It's me, Emma. I know this is crazy, but it's really me but I look like Hook and I really don't know what's going on."

Instead, she pauses and nods. "Aye," She slips out, hoping that it sounds calm enough. Although now she needs to come up with an excuse to give him for her Saturday morning appearance. "Emma and I had plans to go sailing today." She leaves it at that, hoping it is just vague enough to get by him.

David looks confused for a moment, but seems to accept it. "Well come on in."

She has to turn to fit through the doorway beside him. She stomps into the room, feeling weirded out by the fact that she is now nearly taller than her father and just as broad shouldered.

The oddity sends her mind reeling for a moment and she still can't believe this whole thing is even happening. She's in Killian's body right now. But if she's in his body, is it still his? Or is it now hers? The thoughts jumble, racing around and around in strange loops she can't keep track of.

Once inside the apartment, she forces herself back into the present and immediately looks around. Her mom is sitting at the table with a half-empty plate in front of her. Henry is at Regina's, thankfully, and her own body is nowhere to be seen.

Her mother smiles widely, dimple and all. This time it's harder to keep her mouth shut, to not say anything to her, but Emma knows she has to keep this all to herself, at least until she figures out what exactly is going on.

"Good morning! Emma isn't up yet, but you're welcome to go on up and drag her out of bed."

Jokingly, Emma pulls one of Killian's little bows from her memory and recreates it. "Thanks, milady. I will do just that."

Mary Margaret is convinced by her act but David pulls up beside her and Emma can tell by the puff of his chest that he is about to do his protective dad thing.

She turns around quickly and heads to the stairs, hoping to avoid whatever rant he thinks he is about to give her boyfriend.

"I'm not so sure if that's—" He starts, but Mary Margaret shushes him. She mentally thanks her mother as she makes her way up the metal stair case. She almost stumbles for a moment—Killian's feet are larger than hers and she has to account for that in her steps—but she recovers.

But when she reaches the top and turns to look at the bed, it's rumpled and empty.

 _Shit._ If her body is gone, then that is definitely a problem. If someone else woke up in her body, then where had they gone?

She hears water running and relief floods her body. She walks around the corner until she reaches the closed door that she knows leads to a bathroom. She knocks and the water on the other side stops.

"Kil—" She cuts herself off just as quickly as she had started speaking. Technically the person on the other side of the door is herself. Clearing her throat, she tries again. "Emma?"

It's weird, saying her own name, and even weirder to keep hearing Killian's voice come out when she speaks.

It takes several long seconds, and then the door opens.

She can't help but breathe out as she checks over the body standing there—her body. It is still clad in the t-shirt and shorts she remembers putting on before bed. Her blonde hair is a mess and for a moment, all Emma can wonder is if she really looks like this every morning.

"K-Killian?" Her voice croaks from the body standing there, and it sounds higher pitched than she seems to remember.

"Uhh…" She freezes, unsure of how to continue. The person in front of her looks skittish, like a deer caught in headlights. Is there any possibility that she is somehow inhabiting both bodies, without knowing it? Two consciousnesses? Or, if this body switching thing has affected more of the town, could it be someone else in her body? Like Belle? Or Leroy?

Her face screws up at the thought. But the more she stares at her body, sees the hands clenched in the hem of the t-shirt and the eyes wide with shock, the more sure she is that it's Killian standing there.

"Do you have any idea what is going on here?" She blurts out, the natural lilt in his voice intensifying with her increasing panic.

"Huh?" Her body continues to stand there, although now her eyes—wow, those are a really weird green—are scanning up and down the body that Emma is inhabiting.

And with that weird thought, she squares her shoulders and decides to take the plunge.

"Killian?" She calls out. "Is that you?" She makes sure to say it quietly, hoping that her parents can't hear them from downstairs.

"Bloody hell!" The curse comes quickly, and too loudly, from her own mouth. In that instant, she knows that it's him. She reaches out, pushes him further into the bathroom, and pulls the door closed behind her.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! (Also I already have this whole story written, thankfully, so updates will be regular!)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all. This wasn't originally in the story but someone asked about Killian and I figured why not take a look into his morning! So here's a short companion piece to the last chapter. The rest of the story will be pretty Emma-centric.

* * *

Killian Jones wakes that morning with a crick in his neck and immediately, he knows that it's not going to be a very good day.

As he lays there in the flat, unmoving bed, he aches for the soft, gentle movements of his ship. He should have slept there last night, he thinks to himself.

A sharp pain radiates down his left arm and he curses lightly. Every time he thinks he is done with these damn phantom pains, they rear their ugly head once more. Right after his hand had been cut off by the Crocodile, he had spent days cradling his arm against his body, begging for the pains to stop. At the time, he could simultaneously feel the extension of his hand and the jagged, cut end of his wrist, and the conflicting sensations had made him reach for his rum more than ever before.

As the years went by, the pain had subsided. Nowadays, the arm was more numb than anything.

And he would take that over those pains any day.

Slowly, Killian rolls over onto his back to take the pressure off of the arm. With a grunt, he lifts the arm up over his head, shaking it a bit.

He opens his eyes a second later, and that's when he sees it.

A hand.

There's a hand at the end of his wrist.

He reaches up his right hand to hold the left and make sure he is not hallucinating.

But he can feel it, solid between the fingers of his right hand. And he can feel it sitting there on the end of his left arm. He focuses all of his energy and watches as the fingers clench into a fist and then open back up.

Killian sits up, still staring at the hand until something else catches his eye. Right in front of him is a tall shelving unit covered in knick-knacks.

Dread falls like a heavy anchor into the pit of his stomach.

He turns his head to one side, and then to the other, even though he doesn't need any more clues to tell him where he is.

He's in Emma's room. In her bed.

But… how?

He distinctly remembers saying goodnight to Emma last night, after they had eaten dinner together and then he had walked her back to the apartment. Afterwards, he remembers, he had gone back to Granny's. He had definitely fallen asleep there, in that uncomfortable bed. He may have dreamed of Emma's body being curled up besides his, but that's all it was—a dream.

It doesn't make any sense for him to be here, waking up, with a second hand. Unless…

Unless it's not his hand.

He looks down at it again, taking in the thin fingers, the pale skin, the rounded nails. His gaze slips past the hand and down to the bedsheets. Quickly, he flings them to the side.

Killian's mind is spinning. He is definitely still himself, he has all of his memories and thoughts and beliefs. But this body… it's not his.

If he had to guess, he would say that it was Emma's.

He's in Emma's body. His girlfriend. The Savior.

Bloody hell.

Slowly, he pushes himself off of the bed. As he stands up, the weight settles differently than he is used to and he almost falls over. Once he has his bearings, he starts walking towards the metal stairs. Maybe the Charmings know what is going on, or maybe Emma is around here somewhere.

As he reaches the opening that leads from the loft down into the main apartment, he can hear voices.

"What would you like for breakfast this morning, dear?"

"I was thinking that pancakes sound fantastic."

"Pancakes it is."

At the quiet domestic scene, he freezes. He can't just interrupt a Charming family breakfast with… whatever this is. No, not when he still doesn't even know what is going on.

He groans and shakes his head. One thing Killian Jones does not like, whatsoever, is being out of his element. And this is so far from normal, it feels like he's on a different planet. Or, well, in a different body.

Basically, it's weird. All around.

He turns and walks the other way towards a wooden door that he is pretty sure leads to a bathroom. He enters the small room and closes the door behind him.

Killian takes a deep breath and then turns to face the mirror above the sink.

He curses again, the image in the reflective surface matching up with his expectations. He can see the mess of blonde hair, the eyes as green as sea glass, the rosy color on her cheeks.

Her body is draped in a simple t shirt and a pair of shorts. It's probably the most revealing thing he's ever seen her in, and it feels extremely intimate at that. She isn't wearing one of those little corset things from her realm, so her breasts are perky and definitely not hidden beneath the thin material of the shirt.

He lifts up a hand and slaps it over his—her?—face. He does his best to push the thoughts away and focus on something else, anything else.

Resting in a cup beside the sink is a toothbrush, so he reaches for it. Hygiene is something easy and important to maintain.

Slowly, he goes through the motions of brushing his—her—teeth. He forces himself to focus on each pass of the bristles and not on the curves of her body.

It only slightly works.

He can't stop thinking about all the times she's had these very same curves pressed up against his body.

His tall, scarred, handless body. Wherever it is, he hopes its okay.

When Killian is finished with the toothbrush, his mind shifts to a different bodily function. He can feel the pressing need settled in his midsection and he groans. He moves toward the toilet and pulls down the bottoms. The glance at the tuft of light hair between his—her—legs sends his mind reeling once more.

It's certainly not the first time he's looked upon a woman's quim—oh, no, Captain Hook sure knew his way around a woman—but this is so much different.

With apologies to Emma running through his head, he goes about the business. It's the slick feeling left over between his legs that reminds him that he needs to wipe clean. He does what he needs to do quickly, hoping that she will never find out about the thoughts running through his head right now.

As he moves towards the sink to wash his hands—yes, hands, plural, he is still getting used to the fact that he has two of them right now—he can hear doors opening and closing and people talking downstairs.

Killian curses to himself again. He needs to contact Emma somehow. He also needs to get out of this apartment soon. He feels trapped, especially since David is most likely downstairs. While he is a nice guy, Killian doubts that he would feel so kindly towards the man inhabiting his daughter's body.

And that's a conversation he really hopes to avoid.

All of a sudden, there's a knock on the bathroom door. In a rush, he turns off the sink and dries his hands on the shirt he's wearing.

"Emma?" A deep voice calls out.

Killian freezes, not sure what to do. Technically, he is Emma right now. Or at least he looks like her. He takes a moment to collect himself and then pushes the door open.

At the sight, his mouth falls open.

Standing there, in the doorway, is himself, with the hook and necklace and leather jacket and everything. Killian feels like he's going completely bonkers.

"Killian?" He asks. It's weird saying his own name, and it's even weirder that it comes out sounding like her.

"Do you have any idea what is going on here?" The tall, looming figure in front of him asks, the lilting voice sounding tentative. But all Killian can do is stare. He's still not sure what is going on, but he can't help but wonder if it's actually Emma standing in front of him. Maybe some sort of glamour spell was done on both of them or, worse, they've actually switched bodies.

"Killian?" The other person says quietly. "Is that you?"

"Bloody hell!" The curse comes quickly, falling instinctually from his—her—lips. There is definitely something weird going on here, and it's not just happening to him. He's not sure whether to feel relieved or terrified. His own body reaches out, pushes him further into the bathroom, and pulls the door closed.

"Killian, it's me. Emma."

* * *

Let me know what you think of Killian's morning, and/or what shenanigans you think might happen next! Hope you enjoyed!

(Also, I'm pretty sure there isn't actually a bathroom up on the loft in the apartment but, ya know, artistic license. Just go with it.)


	3. Chapter 3

"Killian, it's me. Emma."

"Bloody hell!" He curses again, stronger this time. Then he lifts up his—her?—right hand and jabs a finger in her direction. "How did this happen?"

She shrugs. "I have no freaking clue! I just woke up, at Granny's, and realized I was you. I rushed over here to check on, well, my body. Which I now know is you. But I don't know if this happened to anyone else or if it's just us. My parents are downstairs, and they are fine and have no clue what's going on. But what if—"

Killian starts to chuckle and says, "And Charming still let you up into his dear daughter's bedchamber?"

She glares down at him—and now she's noticing the height difference. "That's not the point. How did you… how did you realize that you were me?"

He looks down over the body he is standing in and then back up at her. "I awoke this morning rather confused, as I distinctly remember not falling asleep in your bed last night. When I came and looked upon myself in the mirror, well, what do you think gave it away, love?" He quirks an eyebrow at her.

Emma shudders at the strangeness of his facial expression passing over her face.

"Although, I must say…" He moves his right hand back and cups it around one breast. "This feels different, on the other side of things. Quite curious."

She reaches out and slaps his hand away. "Stop! This is no time to be… we just need to figure out what is going on here. It can't be Gold."

"Aye. The crocodile has gone a bit soft. Regina?"

She shakes her head. "I doubt it. What would she get out of doing this to us? Honestly, I'm—"

"You guys alright up there?" David's voice breaks through their conversation.

Emma opens her mouth to reply but her eyes fall once again on her own body standing in front of her. Everything feels like one of those weird comedy movies; her head has yet to stop spinning. "Crap, he's going to come up here and check on us soon, and he definitely shouldn't find us like this. Tell him we'll be down soon."

Thankfully, Killian nods in understanding. He clears his throat and calls back, relaying the message from Emma. When she doesn't hear a response, she assumes that her dad has backed off—for now.

"Okay, look, we need to take this discussion somewhere else."

"What excuse did you tell your parents, love? For coming here?"

She groans. "I had no idea what to say! But when I thought of you, I told them that you were… well, that I was taking you sailing."

He grins widely at her. "Brilliant idea, love. Let's do that." He pauses, and then continues. "How does it feel to be the pirate for a change?"

She wants to tease him, call him a princess now, but the reference to piracy reminds her of a problem she needs his help with first. She reaches over and yanks the brace from her arm and holds it out to him. "Speaking of pirate, Captain Hook, how in the hell do I get this thing to stay on?"

His eyes are drawn first to the hook, and then the stump, and his face falls. He almost looks ashamed, mortified that she saw that part of him; she watches the darkening of his—her—eyes as he shuts it down and tries to recover. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No, Killian, that's not what I—your arm doesn't bother me, please don't think that I see you as any less of the dashing rapscallion than I know you are." She takes the phrase from something he said to her once and is glad to see a small smile take over his face. "It's just that, if I'm going to have to act like you, I'm probably going to need this on."

"Aye." His eyes, finally, reach up to meet hers and something—relief? hope?—passes between them. "Alas, I'm not sure we have time for that now." He reaches out with his right hand and helps her stick the brace back on haphazardly. "I will assist you with that later."

With the way that he is helping her, she notices exactly what he isn't doing. "Killian… you do know that you have a left hand right now, right?" She says it softly, not wanting to offend him with the fact. But she can tell by the way his left arm has been dangling by his side this entire time that he had been avoiding it.

As if stunned by the realization, he raises the arm up between them and flexes the fingers gently. He focuses on it for a moment, and then sighs and drops it again. "Aye, but right now…"

Again, she remembers her parents, still sitting down stairs. Her dad is probably thinking that they are up to inappropriate activities by now, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Her mind spins forward, trying to plan out exactly how they are going to get out of here without raising any more suspicion.

Without saying anything to Killian, she turns and pulls the door open. She strides out of the bathroom and makes her way to the dresser, pulling clothing from it and dumping it on the bed. Within minutes, she has undergarments, jeans, a light sweater, and a pair of socks laid out for him. She hears him come up behind her quietly.

Emma turns back to him while gesturing toward the clothes. "Okay, look, you need to get dressed. I trust that you can figure it all out on your own. Just don't…" Her mind flashes back to his—her?—hand on her breast. "Don't get distracted, okay? We will figure out how to deal with these bodies later. I'll meet you downstairs."

Killian keeps any further snide remarks to himself and starts grabbing at the clothes pile on the bed. She makes her way down the stairs, finding her parents still sitting at the table, although now they are coddling her brother, Neal. David's head jolts up and he gives her a weird look. Quickly, Emma searches for a way to explain.

"Managed to rouse her," she quips, "but it wasn't easy. Alas, we'll be stopping for coffee before our adventure, I'm sure." It isn't a lie, she knows as she says it. She will need really strong coffee to deal with the day she's having. She can also feel a pressure in her midsection and knows that she has to pee, but she is hoping to push that off for as long as possible. The less she has to deal with his… thing… the better.

Mary Margaret just laughs and nods.

"Yes, please." She hears her voice ring out behind her, and she turns to see Killian walking down the stairs. He managed to dress her body correctly, it seems, and has even thrown on her brown boots and pulled her hair back into a low-hanging ponytail. He reaches out for the red leather jacket hanging by the door and pulls it on.

She holds out her hand. "Ready, Swan?"

He barely lifts his right hand before catching himself and bringing his left hand up to hers. Their fingers twine together and while it feels weird, it doesn't feel wrong.

Mentally, she sighs. Hopefully they will be okay after this. If they can right this whole mess and get back to their own bodies, with their relationship still intact, she will be more than happy.

She pauses before they exit, glancing at her parents one last time and considering telling them everything.

But she shouldn't. She can't. So she doesn't.

Instead, she lets Killian pull the door open and she follows him out.

"Have fun!" Her mother calls out.

"Be careful!" Her father follows up, a stern edge to his voice.

Once the door closes behind them and they are well on their way out of the building, Emma finally lets out the laugh she had been holding in. "I didn't realize how weird my father gets around you," she explains.

Killian just shrugs. "He cares about his daughter; he has every right to be nervous about the pirate she spends her time with. Especially when said pirate is determined to have his dastardly way with her."

Normally, Emma would have scowled at such a comment, or even elbowed him in the ribs. But when he says it using her voice, she laughs even harder, as though it's the funniest thing she's ever heard.

He's quiet for a moment and then chuckles with her. "Alright, alright, Swan. What do you propose we do now?"

"Granny's, for coffee. Let's hope we don't run into anyone that really wants to talk to us. Then we make our way to the marina."

They're a few feet from Granny's front patio entrance when Killian speaks up again. "Perhaps, love, you should go on in alone. People are less inclined to talk to me than the savior." While she is sorry for a moment, because it's true that some of the people of Storybrooke still weren't the most receptive to having the pirate in their midst, she releases his hand and nods.

"Alright, wait here."

After a moment, Killian calls out to her. "Wait, love, just… be confident but also… aloof."

She turns around, continuing her stride backwards in his thick black boots while she shoots him a smirk. "I think I know you well, love." From the surprise on his face, she can tell that she nailed it. She can't help but add on an innuendo. "But maybe not well enough." She winks at him, but turns around and walks into the diner before she sees his response.

Feeling the bravado building up inside her, she marches up and leans against the countertop. "Oy, wolf!" She calls out to Ruby. "Two coffees to go."

He had been right, clearly. The patrons in the restaurant seem to be trying their best not to even look her way. But then she spots the smiling blonde at the end of the bar. When their eyes meet, she mutters a curse under her breath.

Quickly, the girl flits across the room to sit beside her. "Hook, hey!"

"Mornin' Tink." Emma attempts to drawl the words.

"What are you up to today?" Tinkerbell asks, her wide eyes and innocent face proving that she is none the wiser to their current predicament.

She shrugs. "Going sailing with Emma." She repeats her excuse from earlier.

"How exciting!" The fairy exclaims.

Ruby brings over the two coffee cups then and Emma begins to panic about how she is going to carry them both outside without knocking the hook off her arm. But before she can even attempt to do so, Tink continues prattling on beside her.

"That is _so_ cute! You two are really something, huh? Who would have thought, Captain Hook and the Savior."

She nods and passes a stray bill that she finds in the pocket of his leather jacket over to Ruby to cover their coffees, giving her a nod in thanks.

Turning back to Tinkerbell, she tilts her head and nods again. She reaches up and scratches the back of her head, much like he does when he's nervous. She's tired of scrambling for things to say that sound like him, and she still really has to pee, and she just feels really awkward about the whole being-in-Killian's-body thing. So she probably sounds more curt than she should when she blurts out, "Aye. Now if you'll excuse me." She sees the look on Tink's face, a cross between pain and confusion, but there's nothing she can do to fix it, not without revealing everything. And if she wasn't going to tell her own parents, she certainly wasn't going to go blabbing to a little green fairy.

She swipes up the coffees, tucking one in the crook of her left arm, still held close to her body to keep the brace on, and one in her right hand, and takes off for the door. She passes through swiftly as someone else is coming in.

Emma makes her way back down the block to Killian and hands him a cup of coffee with a huff. "Okay, let's get this over with."

She's sure that he can tell something happened, he is usually pretty good at reading her, but this time he keeps quiet. They can't hold hands now, with her single hand holding the coffee. Also, they definitely can't take the Bug down to the docks, with them being each other and all. So they settle in shoulder to shoulder as they walk down the road, sipping coffee without comment as they approach their destination.

Their journey is brisk, neither of them wanting to linger long enough to get caught by an unsuspecting townsperson for a random conversation. But from what they can tell of the peaceful goings on around them, it seems that they are the only ones being affected by this body switch.

By the time they reach the wooden planks of the docks, Emma is mourning the last drips of her coffee. She looks down into her empty cup and groans.

Killian reaches over and takes it from her, depositing both cups into a nearby trash can before speaking up. "So, Swan, shall we procure a smaller vessel for sailing or shall we board my ship and discuss our plans there?"

Boats of all types fill the marina and while she isn't sure who owns them, she knows that her pirate could easily commandeer one for them. At the same time, it's impossible to miss the blue and gold hull of the Jolly Roger at the far end of the docks.

She will feel more comfortable on the Jolly Roger, she thinks, imagining them either on the quarterdeck or in the captain's quarters as they discuss their private business. But first, she decides as her gaze passes over the front of the boathouse, there is a more solitary affair that she must attend to.

"Jolly Roger," she states, "but first I have a bit of a problem."

Tense silence passes between them.

A moment later, Killian steps in front of her. "Out with it, Swan."

* * *

Alright, out with it! What do you think?


	4. Chapter 4

Emma drops her head to her chest, staring at the few inches of space between the tips of their shoes, before muttering the words. "I have to pee."

With not even a second to spare, Killian guffaws loudly. "Is that it? Love, it's really not that difficult, you could've used the bathroom at your parents, or at Granny's; your body does most of the work for you."

She shakes her head throughout the duration of his haughty speech. "That's not the point. I know how, things are just…" She gestures to her waist with a frown. "Things are a bit different now. Why am I the only one freaking out about this?"

He reaches out and places his hands on her arms. The position feels familiar, albeit a bit physically flipped, and she relaxes. "This body switch isn't the ideal predicament, but we are going to have to make do until we figure out how to change back."

"Why are you the calm one now?"

"One of us has to be, or this is going to become an even bigger bloody mess." He shrugs, but his eyes are laser focused on hers. "So you're going to have to give up a little of that tightly-held control of yours, Swan, and let us take turns here."

"As if." She snorts, her reaction automatic.

Killian steps closer and suddenly his—her—body is taking up the entirety of her field of vision and she understands why some people find her so intimidating. "We have to maneuver with the tides to sail straight, but first you have to know the parts of the ship. We will have to embrace each other's bodies, if you will."

Emma watches as confidence seems to roll through him, stance loosening and jaw twitching into a smile. It's an odd look on her body, but she has to admit it's kind of hot.

"Although when I dreamt of you embracing me, love," His eyes flicker down the body she's standing in as he continues, "this isn't quite what I had in mind."

The moment that she spends dazed by him is suddenly over and she pushes out of his near embrace. "Oh, stop!" She calls out as she turns and walks away. She's halfway to the boathouse when she hears him speak up again.

"Oh, and remember. You have to stand up!"

She just growls and shakes her head, trying to not overthink what she's about to do.

There is a single stalled bathroom tucked near the main office space. It's not particularly clean, but it will do. She spends an infuriating minute attempting to pull his penis out of the tight jeans with the one hand she has at her disposal, especially while trying to keep the brace on. It's even more annoying as she takes it, soft and smooth in her—his—hand, and has a harder time aiming into the toilet bowl than expected. She washes her hand and tries to get out of the bathroom as fast as she can. The last thing she needs is to leave Killian thinking about her touching his…

Not that she would refuse, really. She is a bit impressed, now that she has seen it—although it's not like she had been too worried in the first place because those leather pants he used to wear didn't leave much to the imagination. They just haven't quite reached that stage in their groping yet, and now, while they were mysteriously in each other's bodies, is not the time to even consider doing so.

A flash of heat races through her body, but she pushes both it and the thoughts aside as she walks back over to him. Before he can make another lewd comment, she mentions the messy, but clearly uninhabited office she remembers seeing inside.

"Have you considered being Storybrooke's harbormaster?" She asks as they fall into step side by side, heading towards the Jolly Roger.

"Me?" He questions her insinuation as well as her sanity. "I'm a pirate, I have no need for employment in your realm."

Emma just shakes her head. "You can't really be a pirate here, though, Killian. Not like you were in the Enchanted Forest, or Neverland. If you really want to stick around, it might be worth finding your place here, in Storybrooke."

"I thought my place—" He glances over at her, waggling his eyebrows. "—was with you."

She stutters for a moment. There is really something to be said about his dedication to her, to their relationship. She can't even begin to count the number of times he's saved her. Sure, he has betrayed her a number of times as well, particularly back when they first met. But he has proven himself since.

He's done the one thing that almost no one has ever done for her.

He stayed.

He's there with her and she trusts him.

Her mind drifts to another word to describe how she feels about him, one that starts to linger.

But she knows that she can't linger in her thoughts forever, because he knows her too well to let that slide. So instead, she lets him know that she accepts, and appreciates, the sentiment but it's not what she really means.

"I would hate to be the only thing tying you to this place. Yes, you have me, and I have you. But wouldn't it be nice to do something for yourself? You've been focused on your revenge for centuries, but now you get the chance to just relax and find something more, be something more. Discover how Killian Jones fits into this world, not Captain Hook." She feels like she has explained things simply enough, and she hopes none of it comes across as an insult, but thankfully he seems to understand.

"Aye." The word falls softly from his—her—tongue. It's tense between them for a moment, and then she can sense the instant he gives in. It brings a large smile to her face, which is quickly matched in his. "Perhaps I will consider your offer, if you consider one of my choosing."

There's the pirate she knows, always trying to get the upper hand. "Alright, what?"

Killian suddenly stops in place and she notices that they've reached his ship. "We will discuss that later." He leads her up a small ramp and onto the main deck. He moves across the planks slowly, tapping a toe against a random barrel and tugging at a few ropes as he inspects his ship. Whatever it is that he finds—or doesn't find—pleases him and he climbs up onto the quarterdeck. Sparing her a quick glance, he moves past the entrance to the captain's quarters and sits down with his back against the railing. Emma follows suit, noticing the large wheel only a few feet away.

She has flashbacks of panic and storm, of clinging to the nearest surface while the wheel spins haphazardly and the ship rocks back and forth. This only manages to dampen her mood.

"What if this is all my fault?" The admission slips out like a tear on her cheek—but no, of course she isn't _crying_ —and there is nothing she can do to take it back.

Beside her, Killian stiffens. "What do you mean, love?"

"I haven't been very focused on my magic lately. What if I did something wrong, thought something wrong, and this happened? It's the only thing that makes sense, right? I mean, we've already crossed Gold and Regina off the list. Zelena is still locked up. There's no one else in Storybrooke with magic, or at least not strong magic."

"That we know of." His hand lands on hers, a gesture meant in comfort but ends up feeling like entrapment. "And while I'm pleased to know that you think of me so often that you could have created such a spell to become closer to me, I know that you didn't do this."

"How?"

"I have encountered a lot of magic over my years, trust me on that. A curse like this involves very strong magic, yes, but dark magic."

Emma shifts, splaying her legs out in front of her as she tries to ignore Killian's logic. The movement jostles the leather brace on her arm and it falls down between them. She groans at her inability to do even such a simple task successfully. No one else is around, so she leaves it lying there. The stump of her—his—left arm, mostly covered by the sleeve of the leather jacket she's wearing, ends up resting against her thigh.

He turns to face her, his eyes pleading for her to understand. "It takes power to remove a person's soul from their body. Takes darkness to tear a person apart. It's more like ripping off a shadow than merely pulling out someone's heart. A heart, if enchanted, you can live without. A shadow too, really." He reaches out with his free hand and places it against her chest, right above where her heart is beating a slow rhythm. "A soul, not so much."

"But that's just it! I'm the product of True Love, which means that I am destined for magic, but also that I have the potential for great darkness."

"But you couldn't have just done this on accident, Swan! That's what I'm trying to bloody tell you. This kind of curse takes effort. This person didn't just rip out one soul, they ripped out two, and managed to swap them without causing either of us any harm. This particular curse was planned out well before we encountered it. We just need to figure out who the bloody villain is now."

Even though she still has her doubts, Emma sighs and acquiesces. She doesn't want to keep fighting him on this. "Okay, okay, fine. If it wasn't me, then it has to be someone targeting me."

He doesn't try to argue that it could be him, because they both know that she holds more power in this realm.

"I'm not myself like this." She pulls herself up and starts pacing back and forth. "I'm weak like this. I can't protect you or Henry or my family." She reaches her hand up and runs it through her hair, suddenly annoyed at how short and unfamiliar it feels beneath her fingers. Her other arm moves up instinctually as well, but she ends up hitting herself in the forehead with the stump.

She turns on Killian, eyes blazing and arm pointed at him. "And how do you even frigging deal with this thing?" She shouts.

Emma doesn't have to see the empty look in his eyes to know that she just crossed a line, but his harrowed expression has her backpedaling immediately. She moves toward him, rattling off apologies.

He holds up one hand, effectively stopping her. Once she falls silent, he reaches over and grabs the brace from the deck before standing up. He doesn't look her in the eye as he turns toward the entryway behind the helm. "Follow me," he grunts.

She breathes in and out deeply for a few seconds, trying to regain her calm, before climbing down after him.

* * *

Not that I have any personal experience in the matter, but body switching is no easy task! There's so much to deal with, especially with these two. Hope yall are still enjoying this-let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

The captain's quarters are exactly like she remembers them; the walls are painted white and adorned with carvings of mermaids, the shelves are lined with books, a small bed is pressed against one wall, and a table and chairs sits in the middle of the room.

He stops beside the table and lays the brace down onto it gently. When he faces her, that fire is still in his eyes, although he has tempered it somewhat.

She stands at the bottom of the stairs, unmoving, waiting for his request. When it comes, she nearly shouts.

"What?"

"You heard me." He states slowly. "Strip. Jacket and shirt. Off."

Emma's mind races, trying to figure out what will happen after she follows his instructions. Is he trying to humiliate her somehow? Or, if she takes off her clothes, will he start to take his off as well? Is he expecting some sort of literal body exploration, quid pro quo, right here and now, together?

Her thoughts settle— _that ain't gunna happen buddy_ —but he seems to read the look on her face and rolls his eyes in response.

"Do you want help or not?" Impatiently, he moves forward and starts pushing the jacket off of her—his—shoulders. She briefly feels his hand pass over the stump with the movement and everything is clear again. She moves her hands up to start on the buttons of the shirt, but he gets there first and she realizes that he can do it faster than she can. He seems to be adjusting well to having the use of her two hands.

Hands that are currently brushing against her—his—chest hair and sending tingles across the newly bared skin.

Emma bites back a groan.

Once she has been rendered shirtless, she has to remind herself that she is standing in his body, not hers. She doesn't feel the familiar weight on her chest. Instead, her shoulders feel incredibly heavy and the stump is still partially numb.

"Look, Killian," She tries to apologize, again. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's not anything against you, please don't take it that way. I'm just having trouble adjusting to this—to your body. Like I said earlier, I'm kind of freaking out still. And it's not just the arm, it's the whole thing." She takes a deep breath. "And I really do hope that we will be okay after all of this. It really is an opportunity to get to know each other better. And while this isn't a level of intimacy that either of us really expected, I'm not going to shy away this time." She literally can't get away from this, seeing as the two are stuck this way for now, but she's offering herself up emotionally in a way that she hasn't done, well, ever.

He gazes up at her earnestly, green eyes shining. "I hope so too." He's a man of few words, sometimes, but the emotion packed into that small phrase tells her exactly what she needs to hear. He's in this just as much as she is and they will get through it together.

Killian grabs the brace from the table and holds it out with the open end pointing her way. "Ready to learn how it works?"

She nods, sliding the stump into the hole. She hadn't noticed before, but the inside of the brace is soft, made of something between felt and velvet that softly encases the stump. Despite the perfect fit, she can tell that it won't stay put on its own, which is clearly what the leather straps are for.

He takes a step forward and Emma can see that he is staring at the arm with narrowed eyes as he deftly untangles the straps.

"Tell me about it." She says to distract him, and then she clarifies. "About the hook, the brace. How did you figure all of this out?"

"I found the hook on the Jolly, actually, right after it happened. Just seemed meant to be." Methodically, he starts winding the straps around her arm, making sure they criss cross in just the right spots, weave around her elbow, and move up towards her shoulder. "The brace was trial and error. I had it buckled around my forearm, which worked for daily use, but it would get torn off at… rougher times."

"And as a pirate, you faced a lot of… rougher times." Emma quipped, chuckling slightly.

"Aye. From there, something more complex arose." Finally, with the straps aligned exactly how he wants them, he tangles and buckles them right over the curve of her shoulder. She feels a bit of pressure there, but it's not unlike a tight bra strap.

Her eyes trace over the arrangement and she can only imagine how much time and effort was spent to perfect it, in order to keep the hook in place. "And all of this, for a hook?" She questions aloud.

She's glad to see a smirk settle on his face. "Better than any alternatives."

"Dangerous, too." She comments. She reaches over with her right hand and grasps the curve of the hook. "Do you sharpen it usually?"

Killian nods. "Aye, usually. It's been a while, though. Been distracted by a pretty lass."

And there he goes again, flirting with her and sending that crazy warmth flooding through her chest. It's even funnier with their roles reversed like this and she laughs at the thought that at least some good is coming from this switch.

"Why, I prefer _dashing_ , milady." Emma smirks back at him, raising an eyebrow and giving him her best seductive look.

It gets him to laugh, and even though it's the light sound of her voice and not the deep timber of his that she hears, she's happy regardless.

The two are laughing then, leaning in together as if unwilling to share each other with the rest of the world. For a moment, Emma thinks about leaning down and kissing him.

But she shouldn't. Cause that would be weird, right? So she doesn't.

The mood between them settles into something calm and she's thankful as he helps her redress.

But the moment things are back to how they should be—relatively—they both start speaking at once.

"So what—"

"How do you—"

They both stop, and then start again.

"So what do you think we should—"

"How do you propose we figure—"

Again, they both stop speaking over each other.

There's a moment of silence, and then Emma speaks up. "If we don't know who did this, then we need to find some way to at least undo it."

"And we can't trust the crocodile, even with his expertise in this area."

"Right." She nods. "Plus he doesn't even have his magic any more. We could go talk to Regina, but I'm not sure she's going to be much help either. And I can't keep track of whether or not she hates me right now."

He lays his hand on hers comfortingly. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you, Swan."

Emma can't deny the truth, though, and she shakes her head. "Henry still comes between us. She's still upset with me for messing with her perfect family. And there's the whole Marian/Zelena thing."

"It's not your fault that her sister is wicked."

"No, but it's our fault for bringing her back from the Enchanted Forest in the first place."

Killian looks up at her and scoffs. "That was all your decision."

"Yeah, well." She waves her arms around and then drops them to her sides. "You were there too, so you're involved."

He glares lightly, but moves on. "Well, either way. Who else is there, then?"

Emma moves backwards and leans against the edge of the stairs, her head falling back against the wood with a thump. "I don't know! I mean, if someone new was lurking around or something strange was happening, you'd think we'd have noticed by now. Leroy certainly would have. Or Ruby." She can't help but think of the wolf-girl she'd seen earlier that morning, all dark hair and tight clothes like usual.

Her stomach rumbles uncomfortably. Her mind drifts to the fact that she hasn't eaten anything today, but grilled cheese and onion rings from Granny's sounds delicious right about now. She's only got mediocre coffee burning a hole in her stomach, but at least she's lucky to have that. It's more than she had some days as a foster kid.

Plus, she had barely gotten out unnoticed with the coffees after that conversation with Tinkerbelle.

"That's it!" A spark goes off and her whole body jolts up. She stumbles forward slightly, the unfamiliar weight distribution unbalanced for a moment, before she straightens up. She doesn't even look at Killian to see what he thinks. Instead, she just pivots and launches herself up the stairs. She's halfway across the deck before he catches up with her.

"Stop!" He calls out. "What just happened?"

"Tink!" She yells back, freezing in place and turning to him.

His eyebrows furrow. "Huh?"

"Tinkerbelle. She's a fairy? Maybe she can help!" He gives her an incredulous look and she changes her tune. "Okay, well maybe not Tink. But what about Blue? She has helped us out so many times; she always seems to know what's going on."

Finally, Killian understands and he smiles at her proudly. "Great idea, love."

"I guess we'll have to go over to the convent ourselves, though. I'm not sure how to get ahold of her."

"I heard your call loud and clear." A light voice trickles toward them just as Emma sees a figure drop down beside her.

In that moment, Emma is eternally grateful for the fairy's immense power even if she doesn't quite know how it works. Blue, or Mother Superior as she is known in Storybrooke, is now onboard the Jolly Roger. Despite her intrusion, she is standing there calmly, her gaze passing back and forth between Emma and Killian.

"Blue, I'm glad you're here." Emma calls out, extending her arm towards her in welcome and realizing seconds to late that it's the one with the hook on the end. "It's a weird story, but it's me, I'm—" _Emma_ , she aches to call out, to reclaim herself.

Before she can explain, Blue holds up her hands with palms flat and pointed at each of them. Her face falls and wrinkles form between her eyebrows. "Yes, I can sense it. Your auras have switched but they are also…" She tilts her head and looks off into the distance. "Dim. Hazy. As if you're here, but not really. It's quite perplexing."

"What in the bloody hell are you saying?" Killian calls out angrily, his—her—hands on his—her—hips.

Blue's head snaps in his direction. "What I'm saying, Captain, is that the loss of the connection between your body and your consciousness is more damaging than you would think. It's like you're drifting away, fading out of existence." She turns to look at Emma. "Your soul is not tethered as it should be. It is not lost altogether, that is quite clear, as it has found another vessel. But I'm afraid that it will not hold for long."

"How long?" She asks.

"I am unsure. A few days at most. I've never seen anything like this. I've encountered soul ripping, and even possession." Blue shudders, the movement easily seen on her small frame. "But souls, consciousnesses, having switched bodies… this is new."

"So how do we switch back? If someone was able to do this to us, then there has to be a way to reverse it, to send the souls back or whatever."

Killian takes a few steps forward, closer to Blue, and then crosses his arms. "And who could do even do this to us in the first place?"

All the fairy can do is shrug. "This magic feels foreign to me; I am unfamiliar with its user. And that makes it harder to reverse. Without knowing how the spell was cast and what went into it, particularly if a potion or charm of some sort was used, I don't know how to break it. But it appears that you two are the only ones affected?"

"Aye."

She turns her body toward Emma. "Interesting. So it was definitely targeted, not an accident. How did this start for you, when did you notice the switch?"

"Well," She thinks back to the night before, trying to remember if anything seemed out of place before going to bed. "Everything was normal before I fell asleep, so it must have happened over night. I went to bed as myself and woke up at Granny's in a body that was _definitely_ not my own. I realized it was Killian's and then I went off in search of mine."

"Similar story here, milady." He speaks up gently. "I went to bed as my devilishly handsome self, nothing out of the ordinary, and when I woke up, I was… dainty."

Emma scoffs. "Excuse me, dainty? I am not dainty."

He rolls his eyes and lifts his hands in the air, wiggling the ten thin fingers. "What do you call this, love?"

"It may not be a hook—" She brandishes the item in question at him. "—but that doesn't mean I'm any less strong than you are. I have beat you in a couple fights, you know."

Again, Killian rolls his eyes. "I merely allowed you to best me in combat, love, in order to gain your trust."

"You seriously don't expect me to believe that—"

"Enough!" Blue shouts, immediately ending the growing feud and bringing attention back to the bigger problem. "I'm worried that the more energy you two expend, the faster you will, well, burn out, so to speak."

"So all we can do is sit around like barnacles and wait for some cure to come along?" He groans in exasperation.

Blue nods and folds her hands in front of her as she looks between the pair. "For now, yes. I will start doing some research, see if I can find a record of something like this happening before. In the meantime, I suggest that the two of you settle in somewhere for the rest of the day, try to remain calm, and I will let you know what I come across."

"Okay. Would it be alright if we talked to David and Mary Margaret about what is going on?" Emma still can't stop thinking about her parents and how she has basically spent the day lying to them. They are only concerned for her safety and now that it seems like there is no end in sight to this strange curse, she feels a stronger need to confide in them.

The fairy thinks about it for a moment. "Yes, I suppose Snow and Prince Charming are good allies to have to whatever is coming next. I have no doubt that whoever did this to the two of you is still around and is going to strike with something else very soon."

"Of course they will, bloody villains." Killian curses angrily, as if he wasn't previously a villain himself.

"But be wary." Blue warns. "The more people you tell, the more risk you could put yourself in. You don't know where this villain is hiding or who they could be working with. Be careful."

Emma opens her mouth to agree with her assessment of the villain, thank Blue for her help, and apologize for calling her to the Jolly so randomly, but before she can get a word out, the fairy is gone.

* * *

Well, now we seem to have an idea of what is going on. How will it end though? WHO KNOWS.

Thanks to everyone for reading, and super thanks to everyone following/favoriting/reviewing! I appreciate every single one of you and I hope you keep enjoying this story. Also Happy Thanksgiving, for those of you that celebrate it.


	6. Chapter 6

For a few moments, the only sounds to be heard are the water lapping at the sides of the ship and a bird crowing in the distance.

Eventually, Killian speaks up. "Well, that was comforting."

"What?"

"Essentially, if we don't end this curse, we die. Nothing new for life in Storybrooke, or the Enchanted Forest for that matter."

Emma groans and drops her head to her chest. "I know, I know. This sucks."

"That's an understatement, Emma." She looks up to find him glaring at her. "I am tired of being attacked, of being threatened, of watching you be threatened!"

She shakes her head. "You're not the only one, Killian! I'm dealing with this just like you are."

He steps forward until he is right in front of her and then leans forward to wrap his—her—arms around her—his—midsection. Instinctually, Emma raises her—his—arms to complete the embrace. It feels nice, the warmth of their bodies pressed together.

But it doesn't help her forget the situation that they are in. "I'm worried too." She whispers as she pulls back to put some space between them. "Look, I know Blue said that we need to sit back and do nothing but we need to remain proactive about this. I do still want to talk to my family. Maybe they can help somehow. Also, we should eat something. It wouldn't help either of us to be feeling any weaker than usual."

Killian nods, his shoulders slumping as he relaxes slightly. "As you wish, love. Lead the way."

 _As you wish._ Every time he says that simple phrase, a flash of heat runs through Emma's chest. It reminds her of her favorite movie, the one that she wants to force him to watch. While she has yet to follow through with the threat, it lingers in the back of her mind. But it's whether he uses the phrase naturally or because he now knows how much it gets to her that causes a bit of mental conflict.

She does her best to ignore it as she makes her way off the Jolly Roger. Silently, she starts walking down the docks and into town, intending to go straight to her parent's apartment. Just as silently, he follows.

When they arrive at their destination, Emma catches herself just in time and lets Killian enter first. Mary Margaret is standing at the kitchen counter and mixing something in a bowl. She notices them immediately and looks up at them with a smile.

"Hey you two, how was your day?"

"It was great." Killian rattles off.

Emma glances at the clock on the oven behind her mother and realizes that it is still early afternoon. She had expected it to be much later, as if their situation had eaten up as much of the day as it could. The fatigue weighing down her body certainly hinted that they'd spent much longer on the Jolly Roger, although that is probably stress more than anything else.

But then she catches Mary Margaret's expectant stare and knows she has been quiet for a bit too long. "Aye," she starts, struggling to remember what her mother had asked and trying to figure out how to respond as Killian. "The weather was perfect for some sailing. Swan may become a pirate yet." She nudges her companion in the side. "But actually we wanted to talk to you and da—David about something."

Upon hearing his name, David steps out from the bedroom. "Hey! Neal just went down for a nap."

Mary Margaret walks around the island and presses a kiss to his cheek. "That took long enough," she quips before turning back to the pair. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

Emma freezes. This is one conversation she really doesn't know how to start. Does she start at the beginning, with waking up at Granny's in the body of her _naked_ boyfriend, or does she just blurt out the problem and hope they figure the rest out?

Thankfully, Killian notices her hesitation and places his hand on her arm. "Why don't we all sit?" He draws her slowly towards the dining room table and they both sit in chairs on one side of it.

David and Mary Margaret share a confused look and then follow suit.

"Something wrong?" David asks bluntly.

"No, no." Emma leans forward, her—his—arms on the table. "There's just, umm, something going on with us. And I wanted to tell you this morning but, well, we wanted to be sure first." She catches the wide eyed look on her parents' faces and keeps talking. "It's nothing to be scared of, we could just really use your support in trying to figure all of this out and—"

Killian grabs her hand and interrupts her. "What we're trying to say is that we've been—"

"Emma, are you pregnant?" Mary Margaret reaches for her daughter comfortingly.

But while she looks concerned, David just looks angry. His eyes flash as he stands up, his chair scraping across the floor. "Did you get my daughter pregnant?"

 _Pregnant?_ Emma's mind reels. She and Killian weren't even—and even if they were they would use—she's not stupid enough to let that happen again. How could her parents think that about her, about them?

"No!" She immediately shouts, the word booming in Killian's voice.

The other man is completely shocked by the turn of events—to be honest, he hadn't even considered a child resulting from him and Emma; they hadn't even gotten that far physically or emotionally. Plus, what business did he, a pirate from a severely broken home, have being a father in the first place? He doesn't know what to say, how to defend himself against the accusations flung by a man who looks as if he's about to draw a sword.

"We're cursed." Emma mutters, trying to draw the attention back to the problem at hand.

Mary Margaret's frown deepens. "Oh, honey, I know it may seem that way, but accidents happen. That doesn't mean that it's a bad thing."

Emma shakes her head, short dark hair tickling her forehead. "No, I mean we're literally cursed. We've switched bodies." Finally, she manages to say it and as soon as it escapes her lips, she sinks back into the chair with a sigh of relief.

"You've… wait, what?" Mary Margaret's head tilts to the side and she looks back and forth between the two of them.

"It's me, Emma."

David looks down at his wife and then looks across the table to stare at his daughter's face. "And you…"

"Aye, mate." The words fall flat in Emma's unaccented tone, but the message is clear.

David falls down into his chair and for a moment, it seems like he has turned into his serious Prince/Sheriff self. But then a smile bursts open on his face and he starts laughing.

"David!" Mary Margaret scolds half-heartedly.

He just shakes his head and keeps laughing. "Oh, God. Good one, good one. Really, you almost had me fooled."

Emma huffs. She can't believe that they don't believe her—this is partially why she hadn't told them in the first place. "We're not—"

"I'm not sure why you're trying to prank us, but it's a good one. Really funny."

Emma looks over at Killian and he can see the anger flaring in her—his—eyes.

He opens his mouth to talk, to explain everything starting from the beginning, but the door creaks open behind them and everyone freezes.

Henry walks in, his stride filled with his teenage confidence. He sets his backpack down on the floor and shuts the door behind him. "Hey guys!" He calls out as he turns to face the group. "Mom had some work to do so I figured I'd come back here for a little while." He pauses as he takes in the awkward energy in the room. "What are you guys up to?"

David lets out another laugh, just a short burst, and speaks. "Oh, these two were just pretending to be each other and trying to trick us."

Henry looks just as confused as Mary Margaret still does. "You were what? Why?"

"Oh, for the love of the sea gods, we're not pretending!" Killian calls out.

Emma taps the hook on the table, the anxious tick echoing through the small loft. "Look kid, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. We don't know why, but Killian and I have switched bodies."

"Woah. Well, I believe you. Don't you remember when that happened to me and Pan?"

Emma nearly slaps herself in the face. She had completely forgotten about the incident after their return from Neverland. "You're right, Henry. I'm sure that was just as weird for you." It couldn't have been half as weird as what Emma and Killian were going through, as their switch featured a gender and physical ability change, but she isn't going to discount his experiences.

"It was the crocodile that switched you both back, though, right?" Killian asks the question thoughtfully and Henry nods. "But he's not the Dark One anymore."

"No," she shakes her head. "So he can't help us now. But I think that was also a different kind of magic. Pan could manipulate shadows. The Blue Fairy said that our souls were untethered."

"That's weird." Henry states plainly. Emma stares at her son for a moment, stunned by his simplicity, his ease in accepting the unnatural, his belief in the people he cares for. Even though he grew up without his true family, and even though he was thrust into this fairy tale life just as quickly as she was, he has the ability to take what is happening around him and to him and make it all affect him for the better.

She is in awe by it, by him.

Henry barely pauses before he speaks up again. "What's it like having a hook?"

She blinks away the tears filling her eyes and scoffs. "It's a cool weapon, but it's more annoying than anything." Long ago, she told herself that she would always be honest with Henry, and that includes now. She looks over at her own body apologetically. "No offense."

"None taken, love."

"So wait…" Mary Margaret finally speaks up. "When did this happen?"

Emma gives her a brief rundown of her morning (nakedness not included) and Killian backs up her story with a few details of his own.

"So why didn't you tell us this morning?"

"We barely knew what was going on ourselves, I didn't want to worry you or get you involved unnecessarily."

"We're your parents, Emma. That's why we're here; to worry about you and help you when something goes wrong. Please don't forget that." Mary Margaret pleads.

Emma frowns. "I haven't, I just…"

As she pauses, David shifts. He leans forward and rubs his hands over his face. "Okay, fine, I believe you. But, seriously, you guys actually switched bodies? Completely?"

Killian nods. "Complete switch, although it comes with hazards."

All three of them ask about the hazards at the same time—David sounding angry again, Mary Margaret with her usual concern, and Henry with curiosity.

"The Blue Fairy says that our souls aren't properly tethered, whatever that means." He explains.

"So if we don't fix this soon," Emma continues, "it doesn't end well."

"How do we fix it?" Mary Margaret voices the question-of-the-day.

The room falls silent. Emma doesn't have an answer and Killian isn't sure what else to say about their predicament without getting too personal.

After a couple tension-filled minutes, Henry speaks up. "Okay, so Operation Friday. Maybe we could talk to my mom, she might have a potion or something that could reverse it."

"Why Friday?" Killian asks.

Henry waves a hand at him. "There was this movie about a body switch, that's not the point."

 _Freaky Friday_. A funny scene from the movie plays out in Emma's mind and she understands why Henry chose the name, even if it was very different than her and Killian's problem. But she definitely can't have him going to Regina, not yet anyway. "Not right now. The Blue Fairy is looking into it and is going to let us know if she finds anything. And if anyone in this town knows a lot about old, weird magic, it's her."

She looks around at her family and begs them to keep the situation quiet. "For now, we need to keep it to ourselves. It's not that I don't trust Regina, but the more people who find out, the more likely it is that someone will use it against us. Obviously we aren't at our best like this, so we just need to lay low."

"Well, alright then." Mary Margaret clasps her hands together and stands up. It looks like she wants to say more, wants to ask more questions, but she holds them back. "I was going to put together a casserole, so why don't you both stay for dinner and we will just deal with this as we go. Remember, heroes always win. I know everything will work out for the best."

It wouldn't be right without one of her mother's hope speeches, Emma knows. It makes her smile and in that moment, she is glad that they told them. She turns to look at Killian and he is smiling back at her.

"Okay, fine." Henry murmurs. "I'm going to do my own research. We will figure this out, mom, I promise." He turns back towards the door and grabs his backpack. Within seconds, he is settled on the couch clicking away on his laptop.

David looks between Emma and Killian once more and then whistles lowly. "Well, this is weird."

Emma glances over at him. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Well, enter the Charmings and, of course, Henry. What did you think? Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

To say that dinner that night with the Charmings was awkward would be an understatement.

Mary Margaret throws herself into dinner preparations after their conversation at the table. She ends up making a small feast of items to accompany the noodle casserole, including homemade bread rolls and hand-sliced slow-roasted vegetables.

David puts in a DVD and settles in to watch it. He claims that Killian must see this popular pirate movie, one that David himself had recently been introduced to and enjoyed, although each attempt at talking about it falls flat. He continually forgets which face to direct his comments to and then gets flustered at his mistake.

Henry, though, continues to try to be the helpful one. Although his research doesn't turn up anything particularly helpful for their curse, he rattles off several facts obtained from books and movies on the subject, historical phenomenon that matches their problem, and even some related "magic spells" that he finds online.

At one point, Neal begins crying out from his crib. Emma gets up to get him, hoping that his simple innocence would draw attention away from the body switch problem. However, at Mary Margaret's instinctual panic, the slightly widened eyes at a pirate with a hook reaching for her child, Emma drops back down into her seat on the couch with a huff.

It doesn't help that Emma and Killian are still adapting to their new bodies. Emma is having problems with the hook, and once she stabs the table, the couch, and nearly Henry, Killian reaches over and removes the hook from the brace. About thirty minutes later, while getting up to go to the bathroom, Killian lifts himself up with a bit too much force for Emma's smaller frame and launches himself at the TV. Emma grabs the back of her red leather jacket and prevents any major destruction of the apartment.

By the time everyone is sitting around the dinner table, all attempts at conversation have ceased. For nearly an hour, only the sounds of chewing and clanking silverware fill the loft. The only exception is Neal, who coos and plays with his food while sitting in the high chair next to Mary Margaret.

Once dishes are cleared, Emma tries to make an exit.

"Well, I'm glad we got a chance to talk about everything, but we should probably be heading out."

She spares Killian a glance, who nods. "Aye, we should. Thank you for dinner, milady."

Mary Margaret lifts Neal from his high chair and folds him into her arms before turning to look at the pair with a furrowed brow. "Are you not staying here tonight?" Her gaze drifts from Emma's body to Killian's and she lets out a gasp. "Oh."

Emma doesn't even pause for a moment. She just shakes her head. While staying at the loft with her family will be good in terms of having back up just in case something were to happen, she also knows that there would be some sort of awkward arrangement of her, as Killian, up in her bedroom while Killian, as her, slept on the couch. But then her father would make comments about not wanting a boy in her bed. While her parents have been ignoring the literal implications of the body switch, Emma is well aware of the realities she and Killian are faced with. The most obvious change being that Emma now has two new appendages, a hook and a penis, and David would prefer not to think about his daughter becoming acquainted with either one of them.

So back to Granny's it is.

"I think we'd be better going back to Granny's. That way we aren't in the way around here but we can still be together just in case we switch back or something worse happens."

David looks as though he wants to argue, because of course he doesn't want the pair sleeping together somewhere else either, but he just pleads, "And you'll call us as soon as anything happens?"

"Of course."

"So that's it, you're just going to leave?" Henry calls out from his spot on the couch, where he is once again searching the internet.

Emma shrugs. "There's not much else we can do right now, so it's best that we get some rest. The Blue Fairy said that she would let us know if she found anything. Until then we're at a standstill. Besides, shouldn't you be going back over to Regina's? Does she know you're still over here?"

He groans. "I texted her earlier that I was staying over here for a while. Do I have to go back? I want to stay with you and figure out how to fix this. Operation Friday, remember?"

Killian took a step forward. "We appreciate the help, lad. But—"

"But there is nothing we can do until we figure out how to break the curse. So why don't we all meet up at Granny's in the morning for breakfast and figure out what to do next, okay?"

"I agree." Mary Margaret says, still bouncing Neal on her hip. "Emma can walk you back over to Regina's and we can look at this with fresh eyes in the morning."

Henry's face drops, but resignation settles on his features. "I'd rather stay here. Can I just sleep upstairs tonight?"

David drops down beside him on the couch and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Of course, kid. Just let Regina know, we don't need her hunting you down in the middle of the night." As Henry pulls out his phone and sends a brief text, David looks over at his daughter. "You two… just be careful. And I mean it, let us know if anything changes."

Emma nods and murmurs a 'good night' to everyone before pulling the door open and leaving the loft.

They're halfway down the stairs when Killian asks, "So now will you tell me what you're thinking, love?"

"Excuse me?"

"You've been nearly silent all afternoon and now you're running out of there like you're being chased. I thought you wanted to talk to your parents about this."

She sighs. "I did. Well, I thought I did. I don't know. I know it's good to have them involved, but I think we just freaked them out too much."

"To be fair, this did freak us out as well. It's an abnormal quandary we're stuck in." He points this out simply, but silence falls as the words settle heavily between them. They walk down the street side-by-side, heading towards Granny's.

"Look, for the longest time, I didn't have anybody to go to, okay? I was alone for my entire life, until suddenly now I've got parents and a son and I'm working really hard to let them all in and have us all be a family. I'm trying, I really am. And that involves talking to them about my problems. It's just that undoing a body switching curse isn't in the family job description."

Killian lets out a short, harsh laugh. "At least you have a family to talk to."

Emma glares at him, trying to ignore the fact that she still has to look down slightly to look at him. "Come on, Killian. You've got me." She reaches out to take his hand.

"Do I? Most of the time I'm not even sure whether or not you truly want me in your life, Emma. And what am I supposed to say, anyway?" He laughs again, the sound dark and raspy. "Am I supposed to tell you that I'm bloody terrified of this curse? I'm worried something's going to happen to you and I won't be able to stop it."

"I'll be fine, Killian. I'm the savior."

"But why won't you let me be your savior?" Her eyes go wide, but she says nothing. He continues, his voice rising. "I'm worried that something worse is coming. I'm worried about you and the hook." He freezes in place, tugging Emma to stand in front of him. "Bloody hell, I'm worried about me and the hook. I've lived without a hand for longer than you can imagine but one day with a hand and it feels like it never happened. But I don't want to forget that day, forget Milah. I don't want to forget how to use the hook, I don't want the pains to come back. I—"

Swiftly, Emma reaches up and curves her—his—hand around his—her—cheek. She lifts his face up but his gaze refuses to meet hers. "Hey, hey, okay, hey. Relax. You won't forget about the hook, or about Milah. I'm sure we will figure out a way to reverse this soon. And if we don't, well, we'll get to spend lots of time together, okay?"

He reaches up and rubs at his forehead with one hand, then meets her gaze. But he doesn't, he can't, relax.

Emma grabs his hand once more and then starts walking down the street again. Neither of them say anything as they make their way into the diner. She spots Leroy sitting at the counter with a beer and Ruby wiping down tables across the room. She is tempted to stop and get some comforting hot chocolate with cinnamon, her usual, but things are still tense between her and Killian and she knows it won't help.

They keep going until they reach his room and enter it. She locks the door behind them. She doesn't bother turning on any lights, as the moonlight shining through the window is just enough to see each other by.

"So are we both staying here tonight?" Killian is sitting on the edge of the bed, having already taken off the leather jacket and is in the process of taking off his shoes.

Emma glances around at the strange wallpaper, the bedside table where Killian has just laid the hook down, the bedsheets left tousled from her early morning panic. She shrugs, realizing that she hadn't actually discussed sleeping arrangements with him yet.

"I thought it might be a good idea, if you're okay with it. This way, we can stay with our bodies in case something happens. I can go get another room, though, if you'd like." With the low incidence of tourists in Storybrooke, there would definitely be another open room.

"This is fine. I'll be taking the floor, then?"

"No, no, no." She rushes out. "I mean, we're together, right? We can share a bed."

"When I pictured sharing a bed with you, love," He looks down at the curves of the body he is in and then back up to her with his eyebrows raised, "this isn't what I had in mind."

She chuckles. "Okay, well keep your thoughts to yourself, mister." She takes off the leather jacket, although it takes a bit of awkward shuffling to get it off without her other hand. The shoes are easier to kick off and in moments, she settles down onto the bed beside Killian. She lies on top of the covers, but props herself up slightly against the headboard. Killian follows her movements and lies back, although he curls up on his side to face her.

"Emma, I—"

"I'm scared too, you know. I'm afraid that my family is never going to look at me the same again. I'm worried that Blue isn't going to find a cure. I'm scared of losing a fight because I don't know how to use the hook, and that someone is going to die because I can't save them. I'm worried about this happening to more people. What if this happened all over town?" She rolls onto his side to face him and reaches out to hold his hand again. "Everyone expects me to fix things, but I just don't know how!"

"No matter what happens, Swan, I believe in you. I have been awed by your strength and commitment and capacity for love since I met you, and that doesn't stop just because we've switched lives or souls or whatever the devil this is."

She grins at him. "Thank you, Killian. And although we didn't meet under the best circumstances—"

"Hey, you're the one that tied me to a bloody tree!"

"Like I said, although you lied to me and betrayed me when we first met, there was something about you that drew me in and I just couldn't—"

Killian snorts. "Couldn't trust me right away? You left me on top of the beanstalk, remember?"

"But don't you see?" Emma shakes her head. "That's why I had to leave you behind. I was already feeling like I could trust you, like I wanted to get to know you, but I didn't know how to let you in. Not yet."

"And now you are?"

She nods. "Yes, now I am. I have." She stares up at him for a few more seconds, imagining his blue eyes and scruffy jaw in place of the blonde hair and round cheeks she is staring at. As her body relaxes into the mattress, she sighs. While they had spent plenty of downtime at her parents' loft, it had been full of tension and awkward silences. But here, in this dark room with only her boyfriend as company, she feels herself completely relax.

Just as her eyes start to slide shut, he leans forward and brushes their lips together. The kiss is soft and sweet, and thankfully not awkward. The press of lips against lips is instinctual and soothing. A burst of familiarity, of affection, of something neither of them knows how to name passes between them. The day's worth of tension unwinds as their bodies sink into the mattress and their minds descend into darkness.

* * *

Ahhhh! I love how awkward the Charmings are, and I love how freaking cute Emma and Killian are. I had to have an emotional scene between them. I mean, come on. Can you imagine switching bodies with a significant other? It would be pretty weird, especially when CS is kinda stunted already. Okay, well, there you have it. Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Emma Swan wakes the next morning to the sound of screaming.

Sunlight is streaming in through the windows, burning her eyelids. Her body feels unfamiliar and sore, but she can sense that she is curled up in a bed beside someone.

The rational part of her instantly makes sense of the situation—it's Killian. They switched bodies yesterday. They'll die like this if they don't take it easy and find a cure soon.

But the other part of her—the sheriff, the Savior—can only focus on the screams.

She jolts out of bed. Haphazardly, she pulls on a leather jacket and a pair of shoes. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see that Killian has gotten out of bed as well. The hook is clicked back into place and then Killian pulls a sword from beneath the bed. She pauses, meaning to scold him about it before the glare in his eyes tells her to save it for another time, they've got work to do.

Together, they run out of the room and out onto the street. As soon as they reach the pavement, a gaggle of townspeople surround them.

"Emma!" Leroy shouts, appearing in front of them. "She's looking for you!"

"Who?"

In the next moment, David pushes the dwarves aside. He is holding a sword much like Killian's and no one seems to question it.

David pauses and looks between the two, still as unsure of who to address as he had been last night. He ends up just talking to both of them. "Some witch just burst through town, shop windows busted and street lamps went out. She was just headed down to the clock tower."

"Why do the villains always go for the clock tower?" Emma groans. Then she shakes the thought away and focuses on the intense face of Prince Charming in front of her. "Who is she? What do we know about her?"

"Honestly, nothing. I was hoping to run into Gold out here somewhere, maybe he knows. Or even Regina."

Emma turns to Killian. "Okay, why don't you stay here and distract this bi—witch and I'll go look for—"

"No." He says swiftly. "We should stay together."

She knows that arguing will get her nowhere, so she tilts her head toward the fray. While the screaming seems to have stopped, she can feel the magic crackling in the air. With one last look at David, who seems to understand that he should continue his search for someone to help, the pair walks on. The dwarves step aside without hesitation. Emma can see a figure up ahead, leaning against the light pole.

Killian holds out his arm and crosses in front of Emma. "What do you want?"

As they get closer, all Emma can think is that this villain looks very Evil-Queen-esque. She's wearing a purple corset and a long, flowing black skirt. Her hair is dark and adorned with some sort of metal tiara. She doesn't look much older than Emma herself but the magic radiating from her feels old.

"Well, well, aren't you two in quite a tizzy. I'm assuming that my spell really took hold. Judging from your weary looks and rumpled clothes, you haven't adapted well to the body switching curse."

Leroy, still standing with the pack of angry townspeople surrounding them, growls angrily, "What are you talking about, sister?"

The witch seems genuinely surprised by the way her eyebrows shoot up. "Oh, so you didn't tell everyone about your little problem? Well, well, Savior, secrets are never good. You're going to tear your own town apart."

Regina slips up beside Emma and Killian and looks between them curiously. "Body switching curse? Is this what Henry was all worried about last night? Why didn't you come to me?"

"We're handling it." Killian says roughly.

"Hello, Regina!" The witch calls out, her voice sweet. "You don't look quite as regal as I had expected."

She's not wrong, Emma thinks to herself momentarily. With the bland pantsuits Regina had taken to wearing during her mayor days, the button downs and pressed pants don't look anywhere near as terrifying as the dark eyeliner and standing collars that her Evil-Queen-self wore in the Enchanted Forest. Nonetheless, Regina's eyes narrow as she turns and holds her arms out. To most, it would seem like a vulnerable or even welcoming gesture. But to those that knew the Evil Queen, it was her magic stance—the one she held right before creating fireballs or similar blasts. "I'm flattered, but I can't say the same about you. Who are you, exactly?"

The witch took a few steps forward and her eyes flared. "I am Narissa, Witch of the Netherworld!"

Regina kept her polite mayor's gaze trained at the newcomer. "Right. And what brings you to Storybrooke, business or pleasure?"

Narissa tilts her head backwards and lets out a low, sinister laugh. "Oh, precious, the pleasure will be all mine once I get what I came here for."

In a split second, the witch sends a burst of magic towards them and it sends all three of them sprawling to the pavement.

The few townspeople that were still standing around and watching begin to turn and run, seeking safety

Killian is the first to pull himself up. Rapidly, he tightens his grip on the sword and launches himself forward. He swings the blade down towards her but his balance shifts and he misses her just slightly. Before he can angle the blade back around, the witch gets hit with a pulse of purple light and flies backward.

Narissa lands in the middle of the street with a thud. With a sharp battle cry, she uses magic to pull her body upright. Before she can right herself, Regina throws another pulse, knocking her down.

And another.

And another.

This time, instead of a battle cry, she whimpers and stays down.

Killian rushes over to Emma's side. "Are you alright?"

She reaches down to brush dust off her jeans. "I'm fine. What are we going to do about—"

"I've got the witch." Regina snarls. She lifts up her right hand and forms a swirling ball of magic in the palm before shooting it toward Narissa.

This time, Narissa is faster. She swings up and takes control of the magic blast, launching it back towards them. Killian acts quickly, pushing Emma to the side. But it hits Regina square in the chest and sends her body careening through the air. She collapses just outside of Granny's Diner, unconscious.

"Mom!" Henry shouts.

Emma turns her head towards the sound and catches the sight of the teen running down the sidewalk, closely followed by David. "Henry, no! Stay back!" She yells, desperate to keep him out of the crossfire.

With the distraction, its seconds too late that Killian notices the witch walking towards them. Before he can call out and warn someone, or even attempt to fight back, he feels a wave of magic settle over him and lift him off the ground. His sword clatters to the ground and he feels utterly defenseless. A glance to the side shows him that Emma is captured too.

The magic winds around his chest, getting tighter as he hangs there, staring at the witch.

Emma groans at the growing pressure. "Nar—Narissa. What—why are you doing this?"

"Oh, I knew all about Emma's birth in the Enchanted Forest. Born as the product of True Love. My runes predicted it; you would have the strongest light magic to ever be wielded. So I bided my time and studied you from across worlds. Finally the spirits came to me, told me that it was time. I was, originally, just going to just take it from you, your soul that is. But it was protected by your magic. So instead, I weakened your soul by transferring it to another vessel. That was easy enough, with the right talisman and an empty canopic jar. And, of course, the poor simpering pirate who just can't get you out of his thoughts. So now, as you get continue to get weaker, I'm going to take your soul for myself. I will have the Savior's magic and you will be nothing."

The witch laughs and the pressure tightens around their chests. "After all, all is fair in love and war, right?"

 _Love. Magic._ Could she still access it? Emma lets out a deep breath and closes her eyes. She reaches down, deep inside herself, tapping into the white hot flame that always burns just beneath her skin. She grabs onto it and pulls, allowing it to engulf her.

Suddenly, she realizes she has something clenched tightly in her fist. It is solid and cold, a complete opposite to the burning lava she feels running through her body. She focuses on the movement of the lava, letting it ebb and flow until she can shift her arm with it.

With a snap, she feels the moment the witch's control slips away. In the same second, Emma stabs forward with her right hand.

She isn't sure how she manages to land on both feet, but when she opens her eyes, all she can see is glowing blue. She blinks, refocuses, and finds herself staring into Narissa's wide, frozen eyes. Slowly, Emma pulls her hand back. In it is a small dagger, the blade painted with something black.

Killian reaches out and gently grasps the handle of the dagger. "Squid ink." He murmurs.

David bursts up beside him, sword aimed directly at Narissa's heart. "You two okay?" He asks.

Emma's mind is racing and she doesn't know how to answer.

"Emma? Killian?" Mary Margaret jogs up next to David, her cheeks flushed with concern.

"Don't worry, dearies. I'll handle this one." With his usual shuffling gait, Mr. Gold pushes past the group. "Oh, and I'll take that back now." He reaches out and takes the dagger from her, slipping it into a leather sheath and into a pocket in his suit jacket. "Also, if you steal from me again, magic or not, there will be consequences."

"What? I didn't steal that."

He levels an exasperated look at her. "Then explain to me how it disappeared from my shop, moments ago."

Emma gasps. She had thought, for a moment, about the kinds of weapons in Gold's shop, but she didn't realize she had actually used her magic to steal one. "What are you— How did I—"

"Consider this one free," he croons, his eyes narrow, "but the next time I save your life, you'll owe me one, Savior."

He turns back to Narissa and pulls a small glass vial out of his pocket. "This vial is lined with dark fairy dust, to keep her in an easy to control form, and the glass is tempered to nullify her magic. She should be safe in here."

"Allow me." Regina, leaning on Henry's shoulder, lumbers up behind Mr. Gold. She grabs the vial from his hand and holds it out towards the witch, who is still frozen. In a puff of smoke, she disappears. Regina recaps it with a huff.

David reaches out to grab the vial. "As Sheriff, I think I will be keeping that."

She clutches the vial tighter and slips it down into her pocket. "I know just where to keep her."

"Very well. If that's all then." Mr. Gold gives them all a suspicious look and then turns and walks away.

Once the ex-Dark One is several feet away, Henry bounces on the balls of his feet enthusiastically. "Yes! Operation Friday is successful, even if that lady was crazier than we expected."

Regina gives him a confused look, but nods. "Yes, that was interesting. I've never come across a diviner before, such an ancient one at that."

"A diviner?" Mary Margaret asks.

Regina shrugs. "Someone who can see glimpses of the future through runes, which are usually made of animal bones carved from ritual sacrifices. I think other precious stones have been used before too, but as I said, I've never come across one before."

Killian clears his throat. "And this Netherworld she mentioned?"

Just as suddenly as before, the Blue Fairy drops down beside them. "The Netherworld is the space between realms. It's almost as vast as Earth's concept of outer space is, and portals are wormholes that bend its proportions to allow the travel between realms. However, I would guess that she was from the Enchanted Forest. She just knew how to manipulate the Netherworld, which is how she has been watching you all this time, Emma."

"Well, no matter how she came to be here, she is no longer a threat." Regina says succinctly, patting her pocket twice.

"Yeah! How did you guys do it, fight as each other?" Henry looks between Emma and Killian with an excited look on his face. "And how does this whole thing work, anyway? Do you still feel like yourselves or—"

Regina clears her throat and he falls silent. She takes a step forward, first looking into Killian's eyes, and then Emma's. "Yes, how did this happen? I take it she switched your souls into each other's bodies?"

"Yeah!" Mary Margaret pipes up. "Apparently they've been each other since yesterday morning! Although," her eyes widen with fear, "now that the witch has been captured, how are we going to undo the curse?"

The Blue Fairy lets out a light chuckle. "Everything is back to normal now, though, isn't it?"

Everyone turns to stare at Emma and Killian, their confusion written all over their faces.

"What?" Emma asks. She has no memory of a cure or reversal, and it is definitely something she would have noticed. "No, we're…"

"Umm, love?" Killian realizes the moment that Blue speaks that things are different, they already had been. He looks down at himself, catching the sight of his dark pants, his leather jacket. He lifts up his left arm and attempts to flex the fingers he had just yesterday. Instead, he gets a twinge at the end of his stump and sees the hook.

Emma hears him speak, catches the accent in that one familiar word, and it hits her. "She's right." She can feel strands of her long hair tickling her neck and the curve of her bra pressed against her side.

"But how did you guys switch back?" David wraps his arms around Mary Margaret while he stares at his daughter and her boyfriend with confusion.

"True Love's kiss." The Blue Fairy says with a knowing look on her face.

Emma gasps, turning to look at Killian who is smirking at her as if he had planned this all along. And really, she should have known. Her mother has pointed out often enough that True Love is the strongest magic of all, capable of stopping any curse. But really, it is hard enough to imagine someone loving her so fully and completely, much less letting herself fall into the vulnerable trap that is loving someone back just as much. For the girl who has only ever been left behind, pushed aside, and forgotten, she had lost the parts of her that even considered the equal give and take that relationships are supposed to be.

In that moment, she realizes that Killian Jones— _Captain Hook_ —had become her lighthouse, drawing her out of the darkness and showing her that she could make it to shore and make herself whole. She could become herself again—both figuratively and literally.

Slowly, Emma reaches out and grabs his hand, reveling in the feel of his large, warm fingers encompassing hers. It feels good to be in her own body, but even more so it feels good to be _his_.

"I love you." She whispers, the words flowing from off tongue easier than she had expected but still kept quiet enough that only he could hear. Immediately, he grins at her, wrinkles forming at the sides of his mouth and corners of his eyes. Emma lets her gaze drift past those rich blue eyes, the point of his nose, the flush of his cheeks, the scruff along his square jaw.

She settles on his lips, his beautiful, soft, pink lips, as he whispers back. "I love you too, Swan."

She lifts herself up and finds those perfect lips with her own, kissing him gently. She would love nothing more than to press her body up against his and celebrate their physical return while exploiting the things she's learn about him during those odd 24 hours. But she is sure that they still have guests around them, even if she lost track of the crowd minutes ago.

As they pull apart, Killian clears his throat. "Do you remember the offer I said we would discuss at a later date?"

"Yes. What is it?" Her confusion can't override the happiness flooding through her body as she smiles and responds to his query.

"I think it's time for you to get your own place."

She chuckles, knowing that there is nothing she would deny him right now, or possibly ever if he keeps looking at her with a look so full of love that she's drowning in it. "Can I make a counter offer?"

He nods. "Aye, you may."

"I think you should live there with me."

His smile gets even wider, as if that were even possible, and his only response is leaning down to kiss her again. Emma can hear a mix of grumbling and applause around her, and she knows that her parents are having mixed reactions to the news that they no doubt overheard. But she can't bring herself to care because Killian is her true love, she has her life back, and she is now going to enjoy both of them to the fullest.

* * *

Ahhh! That's a wrap folks. Was the TLK cheesy? Probably, but also these are based in fairy tales so... Anyway, I had an absolute blast writing this piece and I hope you all have enjoyed reading it! Please, please, please let me know what you thought about it (and if there's anything else you want to see, let me know and I'll consider it :P ). Thanks all!


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